Four dances and two punch tables later, things were going socially downhill. Everyone was chattering about someone else in meaningless gossip or crooning over another person's dress. It was driving Wufei mad, and Magumi was just sitting next to him with her chin in her palms; bored. Finally Kadama returned to the table with Quatre and took a seat across from Wufei, while Quatre took the seat next to her.

"Umm.." Magumi cleared her throat and leaned over the table, pushing her dark hair behind her ear. "I was thinking that maybe we could get some work done here. You know, answer some questions…maybe?" the sounds of laughter and loud music tried to drown her out, but Quatre nodded politely anyway.

"Sure, it's fine with me. Shoot."

Kadama watched Magumi pull out a small pad of paper and a pen from her purse and felt another stab of guilt inside. She quickly jolted up to an upright position and cleared her throat. "About that, Quatre…I don't think I'll be of any help in your investigation…I have to decline." Quatre blinked and for about five seconds pure curiosity crossed his features and flashed in his eyes. By the time it ended Magumi had leapt over the table and pulled Kadama up with her as well, calling over her shoulder that she had to use the bathroom.

Once they were in the safe haven of the restroom she released her friend violently and demanded, "Are you mental?! What are you doing?!"

"I'm out…Becky. This is wrong." Kadama had almost called her friend by her real name but caught herself before she had made the mistake. There were other people in the bathroom. Magumi didn't seem to notice and just took an annoyed stance and tilted her head, eyebrows twisted into a frown.

"Do you love him?"

Kadama had began to turn her head and look for anyone that may be listening, but she snapped back to Magumi's face with wide eyes and a stunned expression. "What the -?! No, of course not! Not like that, but he was my friend…my best friend in kindergarten, not to mention he is a human being!" she hissed in her defense with ferocity but was interuppted when a stall door pushed open and they were met with the last person they wanted to see. Magumi and Kadama began to whistle two different tunes in an attempt to look casual, hoping Dorothy Catalonia had not overheard.

"Hi Becky." She was still mad at Magumi for the events a week earlier so she gave her a second of a glance and went immediately to Kadama, giving her a tight, unpleasant smile that seemed too cute for the she-devil of Dorothy Catalonia. "Hi Molly. I heard something about a friend from kindergarten, do I get to meet him?"

"No, you can't because…he's not here. And it's not your business." Magumi snapped, but Dorothy rolled her eyes and replied,

"I didn't ask you, Becky, I asked Molly. If I assumed for a second that you had friends maybe I would have asked you." Magumi made a face at the blonde girl but Dororthy ignored it and turned back to Kadama, "So what of it Molly? You know I love meeting your friends."

"It's nothing, Dorothy. Becky's right, it's none of your business." Kadama said with a certain peace to her words, not wanting any confrontation with Dorothy. The girl with the really weird eyebrows could be very annoying when she wanted to be…which was usually all the time.

Dorothy wrinkled her nose in suspicion, but then shrugged and made her way to the sink. "Just curious, is all." She washed her hands, gave them one last preppy unpleasant smile, and then left the bathroom. Magumi immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close." She waited a moment to continue, and Kadama remained silent and staring at the door as it closed on it's own. " Anyway, who cares if we shared our animal crackers and had a few naps with them! We need that money, Ka - …Molly. You know our shop is in trouble and it wont make us nearly enough money to leave Boston." Kadama looked at Magumi again, and her long time friend looked intense and very worried.

"Yeah, I know." Kadama murmured quietly, looking to her right in the mirror. She absently smoothed her hair and lightly touched her eyelashes. "I hate always having to move. Becky, the war was almost four years ago…don't you think they've stopped searching? White Fang is gone!"

"Not entirely. There's always someone left and searching." Magumi folded her arms and took a stance at the mirror next to Kadama's. "Better to be paranoid than dead."

"Monofit's people have been discovered by the authorities. He's probably stopped tracking the resistance."

"Quiet!" Magumi snapped, worried that Kadama would be heard by the wrong person. It took four minutes of silence to remind Magumi that the bathroom was empty, and when she looked at Kadama again her friend was very uneasy. "Look…Kadama, Molly, whatever…I promise this'll be the last time."

"Promise? Because that's what you said when we moved to Boston."

"I promise, Molly."

"Alright. I'll keep it under wraps…but if we're going to do it we need to get out of here as soon as possible." Kadama smoothed her hair one last time. "Come on, we'd better get back before they come looking for us. How do I look?"

"Great. Let's go." Kadama and Magumi moved out of the bathroom but stopped dead in their tracks upon seeing the new comer at their table. The thing was talking to Quatre and Wufei with much interest, and Kadama cursed under her breath.

"It's Dorothy! That…cockaroach eyebrowed wench!" Kadama growled, then whispered, "Think she's told them anything?"

"She doesn't know anything."

"I hope not. I hope she doesn't suspect." Kadama took a step forward and pulled Magumi after her. "We'd better drive her off anyway." They made their way casually over to the table with stone faces until Quatre looked up and greeted them.

"Welcome back, is everything alright?" he asked polietly, and Dororthy turned around with the same polite mask she had on earlier in the restroom.

"Oh, they're fine. Just gossiping about Molly's problem with her boyfriend." Dorothy gave them another one of her smiles as they took their seats, making sure to distance themselves from the girl with the knee long blonde hair. "You two didn't tell me you knew my friends Quatre and Wufei."

"Since when do we tell you anything?" Magumi snapped back, and Dorothy retorted,

"Since when do you make friends, Becky?"

"Stop it, both of you." Kadama intervined before Magumi could reply. "We just met them a week ago, Dorothy." She gave Magumi a longsuffering look before getting herself more punch and taking a long sip of it, praying it was spiked.

"Becky is helping me find an old friend of mine." Quatre said evenly with a bit of a smile. Kadama gulped her punch even faster and inwardly screamed. Quatre had to be part super hero to willingly be civil to the little snake and actually pull it off convincingly. "Molly was too, but you have to run the shop in Becky's stead, right? I'm sorry I didn't ask before I asked if you wanted the job."

"Well if you need an old friend you could have called me." Dorothy said before Kadama could say anything in reply. Wufei, having been silent the entire conversation, finally leaned back with a scowl and finally put in his two cents,

"Maybe because the last time you saw him you stabbed him." His voice was very hard and very rude, and Kadama inquired with wide eyes,

"You what, Dorothy?!"

Magumi laughed out loud and slapped the surface of the table. "And you say I have a complex, Dorothy."

"That was a long time ago, we've all forgiven and forgotten." Quatre said to Wufei and the others at the table. "Back then we shouldn't have been fighting at all."

Dorothy just sipped her punch. "Those war times were tough. Did either of you participate?" her question was directed to Kadama and Magumi.

"No."

"No."

The answers were quick and simple, and no more was said on the subject. Dorothy raised her eyebrows and made a 'hmm' noise before fetching herself more punch and getting up from the table. She smoothed her dress with her free hand and smiled quickly. "Well boys and girls, I'm off. I've got friends coming over for dinner. Becky, you're not invited."

"See Molly, I've always told you there is a god." Magumi replied dryly, and drained her glass. Dorothy waved and trotted off. After a minute of silence and watching Dorothy go take a seat at the bar, Kadama took a deep, tired breath and muttered,

"That bar needs an ejector seat."  The three other occupants of the table laughed, but Kadama looked at Magumi and Wufei with a scowl. "You two were very rude…even if you don't like someone you should always be nice."

"Yes mother."

"It was necessary. Dorothy is a traitor." Wufei snapped rather violently, and Kadama glared back at him. Quatre gave a sigh and let his chin drop to his palms, not even bothering to try to break the fight up anymore. There was really no point in doing so.

"We all do things that we regret." Kadama challenged the chinease boy, and Wufei bristled but kept quiet. "If we don't forgive eachother there will never be peace."

"I agree." Quatre said quickly, and his eyes warned Wufei not to argue. A minute of silence passed and he kindly asked Kadama, "Would you like some more punch? We could dance, too, if you want."

"Molly always knows what to say." Magumi sipped her own punch in silence, looking distantly across the room at nothing at all, lightly tapping her fingers on the surface of the table. Kadama polietly declined Quatre's offer and stood.

"I'm tired…I think we should call it a night." She gathered her purse and allowed Quatre to put her coat on ( a better gentlemen one never would find ), then leaned in to give him a handshake, but he passed up her hand all together and gave her a light kiss on the cheek, then lightly squeezed her hand. She stood there a moment, eyes wide and the bridge of her nose turning a bright pink. "Umm…goodnight, Quatre."

"Goodnight, Molly." He then looked to Magumi and gave a little salute. "Goodnight, Becky."

"You too, Quatre." Magumi said sweetly, saying the same thing in a dry tone to Wufei as Quatre handed her red coat to her across the table, and she fitted it on nice and snug. "It's been a real pleasure…in the next couple of days I'll be looking around moving agencies and such. I'll give you a report every five days, is that good?"

"It sounds great."

"Good." Magumi gave a light bow and turned to leave with Kadama. When she was close enough to Kadama and far enough away from Quatre and Wufei she whispered, "What's the real problem? Why are we leaving?"

"I'm tired."

"Sure you are."

"Molly, Becky!" The blond boy jogged up from the table to meet them. "Are you busy after tommorrow? After Christmas, I mean." Kadama and Magumi exchanged wide eyed glances, and then Quatre shook his head apologetically. "Of course you are, sorry…it was silly of me to ask."

"No, we don't…have any plans, we'd love to have you over for Christmas!" Magumi stupidly blurted, and Kadama rolled her eyes and mentally spewed a couple of curses. It was clearly visible, however, that Magumi immediately recognized her mistake because she slapped herself on the forehead. "I mean we don't…" she tried to think of an excuse that explained why they weren't having any family over for the holidays.

"Umm…it just so happens that we can't see any of our family this…this year. Just didn't work out."

"But we would love to have you over!" Kadama smiled polietly, still mentally slapping Magumi, and clapped her hands together happily. "You could both give my red velvet cake a try."

"And my…um…honey baked ham." Magumi had never cooked a ham in her life, and Kadama knew it was time to leave. "And…and my wonton soup!"

"Becky, let's go." She smiled at Quatre and pulled Magumi out by the arm.

"I make mean hot chocolate!"

"Becky…" Kadama growled, eager to take her contacts out and rid herself of her disguise. "Come on."

"What time do you want us over?"

The girls glanced at eachother, then said simoultaneously, "11:30."

The blond boy shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled. "Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight." Kadama said once again, and Quatre went back into the warmth of the large party room. She sighed and once again began to walk back to their apartment.

--- --- ---

The following morning was not meant to have guests, so Kadama and Magumi were forced to wake up at six a.m and break out any cook book they could get their hands on. Magumi was digging around in the cabinets for books on entrees and such (particularly hams) while Kadama was in the attic searching for a dessert book.

"Hey, Magumi!"

"Yeah?"

Kadama poked her head down from the square hole in the ceiling, blonde hair spilling upside down in pale gold strings. She extended an arm with 'Nancy Drake's 360 Christmas Treats' in her hand. "This might help, what do you think?"

Magumi pulled out of the cabinet and squinted at the book, then frowned. "Maybe for you…I can't find a thing on honey baked hams."

"You've never cooked a ham in your life, you'd better look harder." Kadama warned, then paused, adding with a smile small, "You can't even cook a hotdog without making it explode into six million pieces, what makes you think you can make a honeybaked ham?"

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Magumi stuck her tongue out and went back under the cabinet. "We have five hours, I can pull it off."

Kadama hopped down the latter and closed the attic up, then briefly scanned the table of contents. "How about I make, umm…brownies, rice krispie treats…and…eh…prailines?" silence followed her suggestion, so sh looked up from the book and found herself face to face with a very practical Magumi.

"You want to make me fat, don't you?"

"We don't have to ear it…and what they don't eat we'll give to the staff down at the animal shelter." Kadama watched Magumi crawl back under the cabinet and smiled absently, reflecting on the night before. She hadn't expected any kind of interaction with Quatre after she had so firmly declined the offer of the investigation, but the circumstances just seemed to be pulling them together more and more. Or maybe it was just Magumi subconciously stumbling over her plan…

Magumi made a frusterated noise from inside the cabinet and Kadama's thoughts were quickly swept away by her friend growling about going to buy some fruit cake and picking up a cook book while she was out.

--- --- ---

Quatre had gotten up that day feeling pretty good about himself and the search. True, he missed Kadama terribly, but he didn't want to be alone for the Holidays. Especially with Wufei, he added with a good natured smile. Molly and Becky were certainly unlike any other girls he had ever met…they seemed to have supported the Gundam Pilots in all the struggles for peave…meaning they were not decieved by all the lies told like the rest of the Earth and colonies

He remembered how Dorothy Catilonia had so rudly asked if they had been involved and how they immediately denied any involvement whatsoever. Quatre paused, then laughed quietly at himself and made his way down the stairs.

"Good morning Wufei."

"Quatre." Wufei said in a simple, nonchalant greeting from the counter by the fridge as he poured himself some orange juice. The big house was empty today, and very cold. Wufei glanced slowly over to the blond pilot. "Got a call from Catherine. Trowa tried to get out of bed and broke his arm."

Quatre paled and set his own orange juice down. "He what? Oh my god…I should go visit him or something…anything!"

"No, Quatre, Catherine told me he won't see anyone. He doesn't want to be thought of as helpless." Wufei shrugged and sipped his orange juice, then said, "I wouldn't want to, either. But he's fine, just his arm that's broken." Quatre still seemed very pale and upset as he lowered himself to the chair beside the counter. Wufei rested a hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine…he needs time alone."

"I suppose you're right." Quatre sighed tiredly. "It just feels that other than you…all my friends are so far away."

Wufei gave a still pause, then said with no comfort, "They're closer than you think."

"What do you mean by that?" Quatre asked him after a moment, his tone suspicious.

"Just that. They're closer than you think. Becky and Molly…"

"Molly and Becky!" Quatre shot to his feet urgently with his hands in his hair. "We didn't wrap their presents…darnit, we'd better get to work Wufei." The pilot was out of the kitchen and running up the stairs in a heartbeat, and Wufei just rolled his eyes. He believed one-hundred percent in his suspicions, but Quatre would never accept it.

--- --- ---

"You shouldn't panic, Magumi, just concentrate." Kadama said as she put a pan of chocolate chip brownies on the stove top to cool. "I hate to say this and sound so cruel, but you deserve to be running around like a mad women trying to roast a ham in two hours. You shouldn't have signed up for all this."

"Oh be quiet. Know what? I'm just not going to cook anything."

"Wufei will never let you live it down."

"Fine. Next time I get the desserts."

"Well next time don't lie about your cooking abilities." Kadama retorted quickly while running to her boiling pot of the marshmellows for the rice krispies. She nearly tripped over her apron while sprinting across the kitchen, and when she arrived at the scene she called to Magumi, "Toss me that spoon!"

--- --- ---

"Toss me the car keys!" Quatre yelled as he pulled his socks on, hopping around on one foot. "Wufei, hurry up!" the Chinese boy did as his friend requested, also doing his best to get fully dressed in four miunutes. Yes, they were going to be late at this rate.

"This is a ridiculous tradition!" Wufei snarled, pulling a shirt over his head. "Buying gifts and eating until you explode."

"Yeah, but it's a wonderful one." Quatre slipped his shoes on and then moved over to get his coat. Wufei followed him and did the same. "Life is short, Wufei. Christmas helps us see that now could end at anytime and that family and friends matter the most."

"Sounds forbodeing, not wonderful." Wufei scooped up the three presents he had bought for Quatre and his two new aquaintances. "Why did we buy them this stuff?"

"Because they're girls. Girls love presents."

"How would you know?"

Quatre opened the door and looked at him rather pointedly. "I had seventeen sisters."

--- --- ---

"Boys hate presents. I don't know why we bothered."

Kadama set her prailines on the table and noted the still uncooked ham and ripped up recipes; Magumi was getting very frusterated and it was quite unnerving. She sighed and tried to ignore the fact that she herself was getting frusterated, brushing her blonde hair from her eyes. "How do you know what guys like, is there something you're not telling me?"

"I had 12 brothers." Magumi said proudly, but somewhere in her voice Kadama found to be vaguely discontent.

"Did not. You were an only child." She said, but Magumi did not seem to hear the last statement and made a half snarl/half scream then began to shovel everything into the trash can expiditiously. "Magumi?" she, spoon in hand, watched her friend bag two garbage bags worth of food and cook books for a full five minutes. Finally she leaned against the wall, exhausted.

For another ten minutes they just kind of regarded eachother silently, then Magumi slipped on her shoes and coat, heading for the door.

"I'm going to Boston Market."

"Well, um…hurry up."

"I will."

"Magumi!" Kadama called her friend back before she could open the front door. The girl quickly turned, startled. "Aren't you forgetting your make-up?"

Magumi rolled her eyes and went into the bathroom. "You'd better get yours on as well."

"I will just as soon as my prailines are spooned."

An hour passed, and like magic Magumi returned with the meal ( a cooked ham and all the rest ) and a satisfied look on her face. Kadama strided over to help with the bags while Magumi shut the door with her heel and the help of her hip.

Kadama set the bags on the table and began to remove the food to set it up. She spread it out across the table and put it in their own dishes so it looked like they had been cooking all morning, muttering about being dishonest on Christmas and how strange it felt. Without looking up she said, "What a morning, huh?"

"At least I didn't have to cook the ham." Magumi and Kadama simoutaneously plopped down on two dining room chairs and took deep breaths. The aroma of the food filled the room quickly, and with it came the satisfying completion of their quest.

The doorbell rang.

Kadama sat completely erect and both hands flew to her head. "My hair is still blonde." She whispered in a very high and very horrified pitch. "And my eyes are still blue!"

Surprisingly or not, Magumi reached across the table and gripped the carving knife ready for bloodshed. "I'll hold 'em off, you go change!" Kadama was on her feet and running in a seconds time, out of time to argue with Magumi on why not to threaten dinner guests.

She heard the bell ring again as she slammed the bathroom door shut and immediately pulled her hair back into a tight bun on top of her head. The blonde girl opened the bottom drawer and removed a simple light brown wig, securely fitting it over her head and french braiding it with lighting quick fingers. Next she slipped in her green contacts and tried to ignore the menacing sound of the bell, dusting herself off of all the flower on her apron.

The bell rang again.

"Magumi let them in for heaven's sake!" she called as she left the bathroom and ran into the hall. Magumi had the door open a crack and was explaining how the ebola virus had taken over the ham and the situation was still not under control. Kadama pushed her friend out of the way and put on her best smile.

"Hi, come in!" she opened the door the whole way. "Sorry about that, the ham is fine."

Quatre smiled but didn't say anything for about a minute, then blinked and thrust a few nicely wrapped boxes at her. "These are for you and Becky. Wow…" he looked her over with a quiet smile. "You look wonderful! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas! You look great, too!" she said after a minute, trying to think how a simple red knit sweater, black knee-length skirt and white stockings with a french braid a bit of make-up could be defined as wonderful. Kadama looked behind Quatre and smiled with twinkling green eyes at Wufei. "Merry Christmas, Wufei."

"You too, Molly." He said simply with no smile or expression of any kind, and handed a gift to her and then one to Becky. "And Becky."

Magumi smiled from her hiding spot behind Kadama, still kind of embarrassed about the ebola thing. "Hi again guys. Merry Christmas."

"Well…we're so happy you made it!" Kadama shut the door behind them. "I hope you're hungry…Becky and I have been cooking all morning. Why don't we start out with some hot chocolate?"

"Sounds great." Quatre said happily, then nudged Wufei. "Doesn't it, Wufei?" Wufei nodded and Quatre shoved his hands in his pockets. "Right. Okay then." Kadama lead them into the small living room she and Magumi shared. A beautifully decorated christmas tree stood in the corner with a few presents scattered under it here and there over the white blanket of fake snow. Two twin love seats faced eachother by the fireplace, and as it would happen, Magumi and Kadama ended up sharing the same one like Quatre and Wufei did.

"Here, hot chocolate for everyone." Magumi grinned at their two guests as she sat down next to Kadama. She folded her black stocking legs and sipped her hot chocolate. "So how's the weather in Boston?" she asked with a bit too much interest, and Wufei knitted his brows.

"You live here, you should know."

"Why don't we open presents?" Quatre quickly suggested, and Kadama caught the look in his eyes and nodded. Everyone kind of hestitantly reached down and picked up a present, slowly unwrapping it and suspiciously watching eachother. This immediately ceased and the room was suddenly lit up with smiles, laughs and thank yous. The hot chocolate disappeared as well.

Eventually they migrated to the table.

There were awkward moments, like when Wufei noted that Boston Market made good ham and Magumi threatened to jam her fork in his eye, or whne nobody would say anything for about five minutes straight, but when business was brought up they were kept occupied.

"So the last time you saw Kadama Lanier she was five years old?" Magumi was pretending to listen intently and failing miserably. Kadama, however, was interested in why Quatre would be trying to find her after all these years, if not a little suspicious.

"No, it was more like…eight or nine. Probably nine." Quatre said, glancing at Kadama absently. "I don't have any pictures of her, but…" the blond boy laughed this time at his own expense. "I had a huge crush on her when we were kids together, I remember that."

"Do you have any idea of what she could look like?" Magumi asked, and Kadama shot her a look. Magumi was about to break down in hysterical laughter. "Any ideas?"

"No, just blond hair and blue eyes."

"What brought your search here?" Magumi jotted down on her napkin. "To Boston?"

"Well we know what brought yours to Boston Market." Wufei said, looking over to the trash bags that were now leaking the doomed ham everywhere. Magumi ignored him.

"The records showed that she and her friend kept moving around the worled and just…stopped here in Boston, MA."

Magumi glanced at Kadama. "Boston is a big city."

"Certainly is." Wufei looked levally at Kadama. "Plenty of places for one to hide." The not-really brunette ignored him and looked back to Quatre with solemn eyes while Wufei still stared her down suspiciously and skeptically.

"You understand," she said gravely, "That Kadama Lanier and Magumi Aeko may be dead, don't you, Quatre?"

Quatre cast his eyes down to his plate. "Yes…I learned that Kadama's family was involved in the war years after I left." His voice quieted. "We all knew the risks."